The empirical formula is the simplest formula for a compound. This is different form the molecular formula, which is based of the actual number of atoms in a compound. Now I don't really understand why there are two types of formulas if the both tell you basically the same thing. I would think that all formulas would be reduced down to their simplest form anyways.
This chart shows the difference, and sometime there's none. The way to find the empirical formula from just knowing the elements present and the percent abundance is kind of confusing but manageable. The math behind it can be found here.
Thanks this really helped me understand the difference between Molecular and Empirical Formulas, and will help me do better on future tests.
ReplyDeleteThis really simplified the ideas and made them a lot easier to understand, the picture also really helps show the differences between them.
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